Abstract
Road traffic injuries continue to exert a huge burden on the health care system in Kenya. Few studies on the pattern of road traffic injuries have been conducted in Kenya. We therefore carried out a retrospective study to determine the pattern of road traffic injuries seen in a public hospital in Naivasha district, Kenya. A retrospective study on surgical patients admitted at Naivasha District Hospital over a three month period was carried out. Eighty two percent of all patients injured in the crashes were men, and eighty percent were aged between 20-49 years. Most of the patients sustained lower limb injuries (41.5%) followed by head injuries (35.4%). Thirty one percent were pedestrians, 27.7% cyclists, 24.6% passengers and 16.9% motor vehicle drivers at the time of injury. Road traffic crashes are a growing pandemic, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Efforts need to be taken to prevent injuries, long term complications and loss of lives that are robbing communities off loved ones, bread winners and productive manpower.
Highlights
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide [1]
According to the World Health Organization, 90% of these deaths occur in low and middleincome countries (LMICs), which possess less than 50% of global motor vehicles
Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital administration and Partnership in innovative medical education Kenya (PRIME-K)
Summary
Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide [1]. The African region has the highest road fatality rates in the world's regions (24.1 deaths per 100,000 population), well above the global average of 18.0 deaths per 100,000, in spite of the fact that the region is the least motorized (2% of the world's vehicles) of the six world regions [2]. As such countries continue to develop and expand their road networks, RTIs are expected to rise with the increased usage of roads, increased number of vehicles and increased speed of travel. The current study aims to document the pattern of RTI admissions seen at the hospital
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